With 1:48 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Sacramento Kings led the Los Angeles Clippers 97-90. The Kings couldn’t get a stop, or a basket, for the remainder of the quarter, capped by a James Harden drive that saw almost no resistance and tied the game with 11.2 seconds left. The Kings cleared out for Zach LaVine for their patented strategy of “run Iso in the closing minutes even when Iso has failed for the last two minutes”. LaVine attacked the defense, created space, and got a decent look, but his would-be game-winner rattled in and out. The Kings and Clippers traded shots in overtime, but the game was decided by the Kings being unable to get a stop when they needed it most. The Kings had a defense-heavy lineup on the floor, with LaVine flanked by Keon Ellis, Jake LaRavia, Jonas Valanciunas, and Keegan Murray. Kawhi Leonard got the ball, prodded at the defense, and drove in for a floater over LaRavia that rattled in as the game ended with a 111-110 Clippers victory.
Some thoughts and observations from this one:
A good fight for most of the game
I don’t want to get too focused on silver linings after a loss, but overall this was a pretty solid showing from the Kings. The defense couldn’t stop James Harden or Kawhi Leonard down the stretch, but for 46 minutes the Kings played really well despite missing Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk. Zach LaVine’s hot streak from 3 ended (just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc), but he still had 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. LaVine’s shot-making is really fun to watch.
DeMar DeRozan, who will make the longest twos and miss the shortest threes
DeRozan led the way for Sacramento, finishing with 31 points to go with 10 assists and 7 rebounds, but it felt like he could have easily finished with 45. DeRozan went 1-of-7 from 3, but hit multiple Mitch Richmond twos, with a toe just barely over the line. Sadly, turning his two late long-twos into threes would’ve been the difference in this game. DeRozan was also the centerpiece of a controversial challenge late in the game. DeRozan attempted and missed a three but the Clippers were called for a foul. LA Challenged the foul, and the refs overturned it, deciding the hand to hand “high five” contact was after the release and any other contact wasn’t substantial enough. A game-altering reversal late in the game, just what NBA fans want to see at games.
A moment of appreciation for Jonas Valanciunas
Jonas Valanciunas finished this game with 9 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists, a steal and a block. With Sabonis out of this game, Jonas played 42 minutes, and he was really good. Acquiring Valanciunas is going to go down as one of Monte McNair’s best moves, as it’s hard to imagine the Kings surviving and thriving with Sabonis out if the backup center position was still being manned by Alex Len and Trey Lyles. Jonas went toe to toe with Ivica Zubac, and while Zubac had a solid stat line of his own (22 points, 14 rebounds), it was just nice being able to match size with size and get great center play even without Domas. It’s been really great having Jonas as a backup, and a godsend to have him as a fill-in as Sabonis recovers from his hamstring strain.
Jake LaRavia is a lovable menace
I’m not here to tell you Jake LaRavia is a perfect player, or that he doesn’t make mistakes, or even to tell you that he can lock down anyone in the league (because that 4th quarter and OT definitely happened). But I can tell you that I enjoy the brand of defensive effort and chaos Jake LaRavia brings to a game. He was all over the place in this one. 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and just 2 fouls, but I feel like LaRavia’s nickname should be “better than his boxscore” because that’s how I always feel about him. I will remain worried about his wonky contract situation for the remainder of the season, because I would really love to be able to keep him around.
Up Next
No rest for the weary, as the Kings play the Knicks tonight. Game preview coming soon.
Keon’s hi-five foul from the Denver game looked less like a foul than the one that was overturned in last night’s game. I’m frustrated as a fan, and I can’t imagine what the players go through when try to do what you’re supposed to do and have it go wrong just because the officiating is inconsistent. This one hurts.
1000% Two games where I felt like the refs had way too much to do with the outcome.
Definitely is inconsistent but that was the right call, Jones Jr hadn’t established position because he was fighting behind a JV’s screen and was moving laterally and past DDR as he shot. His reach down at the end wasn’t part of his natural shooting motion and he’s lucky he didn’t get a flop call which the ref alluded to on the review.
I actually thought they did a decent job last night and let a lot of shit go on both sides. Like when JV went up against Harden on that last layup in regulation. Technically with him going up and rotating his hip out it should have been an and one but they let it go.
Side note love JV in the middle he plays so hard and even though he doesn’t have Sabonis’ hands he made some great passes last night and was one of the few people trying to keep the ball moving.
I hate how the ball dies with Lavine and DDR. ISO hero ball is giving me Cousins years flashbacks.
Why can’t the NBA let us have nice things. That call overturn was atrocious. They want revenge on Deebo for his comments the other night?
The Clippers have a larger market and the NBA can make more money from an LA team doing well (i.e. winning a game) so if there is a chance to do this through shady officiating and people stay silent about it than the corruption will continue.
The foul was pretty minor but it did appear to be a foul on the wrist of a normal shooting motion. DDR is hilarious he gets all the calls he shouldn’t when he flops his body and arms around and then when he actually gets fouled he never gets the call.
The NBA needs to address how the refs make that call. The defender has a right to be somewhere.When the offensive player initiates all the contact, that’s a charge! Or, at least, a non-call.
Totally agree on JV, Greg. This team would be dead in the water with JV filling in for Sabonis. Monte might have saved his job by acquiring him. It’s wild to think that the JV trade may have never happened had Monte not moved Fox and Huerter to create some cap space. There may have been other avenues, but in my mind those trades are directly linked in cause and effect.
Also it sure would be nice for the Kings to be able to bring back LaRavia on the cheap, but after doing a quick glance at the upcoming free agent market, I imagine there will be teams willing to pay more for his services than the Kings are allowed to offer. The Kings can only offer $5.1M on the first year of a new deal. That may not cut it.
Monte is save as long as he is a loyal shill.
Same is true for DC.
At least they’re giving him a good audition for his new team!
Hamlet, i am going to dislike this comment because, with this FO, I know this a real possibility. I hope your Nostradumbass abilities are bad as mine.
The Kings pretty much had zero second rounders to play with before the Fox deal, which was one of the things hindering them from making the on the margins improvements they needed to make with Fox still on the roster. They had to trade Fox to get the types of players (JV and Laravia) that would help Fox lol.
Adam, I too am high on the JV acquisition as he been a steadying force in the middle with Domas out. He is producing Domas-like numbers and is also decisive with the ball. The way I see it, his mere hulking presence in the paint is the most important part of his game. He can dislodge most players from their comfort zones in the paint. Although he has almost the same rebounds as Domas, rebounds, especially on the defensive end can be skewed, as a ball dropping down on you at the right spot or a ball tipped to you during a rebound scramble ups your defensive rebound number (Moses Malone’d). I hope that this FO doesn’t see the mirage of “hey, JV can do what Domas can do, so lets trade Domas for Anfernee Simmons and Jerami Grant” because what Domas lacks in size and … uhh…girth, he makes up with conditioning, grit, strength, stamina, and youth.
Lots of sexual innuendos in that last sentence, i apologize. Please don’t take out the ban hammer.
Ford-fucked again?
Did we win last night’s game yet? I swear we won that game a couple of times.
Totally!
That loss was SO depressing, it’s cratering the stock market!
The difference in the game was once again our good friend, missed free throws. Including two by Carter in the fourth quarter. Effectively a turnover.
Yep, and Carter should have been pulled long before that.
We were up seven with under 2 minutes to play. That’s where the game was lost.
When DDR missed that one with his toe on the line after dribbling out the clock, it was like I had the wind knocked out of me. I couldn’t seem to get it back and neither did they. But there were other mistakes previous to that one. That was just the one that snowballed.
Yeah, DDR taking two “threes” with the lead when 1 more bucket wins the game was some ill advised offense.
(And yes, he was fouled on one of them.)
It’s not just he took a 3 when up 2 with 24 seconds to go, it’s that he dribbled the air out of the ball for 20 seconds then took the contested jumper without passing the bal once. It was some junior high level of shit basketball at a critical juncture of the game.
A career 30% shooter from deep, taking multiple 3’s with the game on the line, is some amateur hour shenanigans. If Doug wants to be a HC in this league he needs to stomp that kind of basketball out.
Fixed it for ya, Greg.
This loss hurts
You’re right, my mistake. I was thinking of the Harden drive at the end of the 4th, LaRavia was guarding there.
[…] Kawhi Leonard’s game-winning shot against the Sacramento Kings has drawn significant attention and admiration across the NBA community. In a thrilling overtime finish, Leonard’s decisive basket capped a hard-fought battle, ultimately leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 111-110 victory. […]
The play that killed the Kings was the DDR ill-advised 3-pointer with 5 seconds left on the shot clock and 24 seconds left in the game clock and the Kings up by 2. Demar waived off a JV which should have been a JV screen for Lavine to get free to get a line drive or a three, IF DDR went to the right instead of shooting a brick. When he waived that screen and took that shot a bit early, JV was away from the basket so there was no chance for an offrensive rebound. IMHO, that birck was the game right there.
Two thoughts from a newbie here. One is that Clips were damn lucky their shot at the OT buzzer bounced around and went in, while LaVine’s at the Reg buzzer bounced around and didn’t fall. Otherwise next to nothing separated one team’s balling from the other’s.
Also, it’s time to accept that Devin Carter is not at this point an NBA level player. He needs to go to the G League so we can see if he ever will be. Meanwhile, Fulks is an NBA player who needs more minutes get his groove back.
Good points. I hope you post more often.
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